We left Arlington and drove the 40 mins to Columbia, MD. At my house, we dropped off a lot of my things and all of the extra food & drinks. This really lightened the load. From there we drove to the IKEA in White Marsh and had our first meal of the day. IKEA food is so good!
From there it was only a 2 hour drive to Princeton where we met up with our grandparents, my Aunt and Uncle, and my mother. We ate at Shanghi Park, one of the best Chinese restaurants I've been to. There, it was great to talk about our adventures.
After dinner we drove the hour to Sean's house and cleared out the van.
The following morning I woke up and followed my Uncle and my mom to the rental place. First, stopping at a gas station to fill up and get a car wash per the contract.
I think the rental place was okay as far as getting us to where we needed to be. Like any place, they were very trying when it came to getting your money. And that's all I will say about that haha.
Driving back to my grandparents, it was weird to drive my car again. Of course the day ended with me driving 5 hours. An hour each way to and from the rental place and the 3 hours home to MD.
I am going to refresh this blog and add more detail to each entry. Also, I will add some photos. So stay tuned!!
M
Header
Thursday, August 4, 2011
Monday, August 1, 2011
Raleigh & Alexandria
From the ATL we drove to my friends place in Raleigh, North Carolina. It was last minute, but I am so glad we got to stop there as she just recently moved there. It kind of reminded me that when I get back, my grace period has ended and I should probably start researching jobs. I am really not too concerned with it right now as I do have another week of vacation.
From Raliegh we drove to Alexandria, VA to stay with my cousin. AKA Sean's brother. We went out to dinner at this place called Hard Times. It had the best chilli ever. You got to sample their 4 chilis which was awesome. My friend Dave came to dinner which was awesome since I rarely get to see him.
Today, it looks like we may drive through Annapolis. After that we will stop at my house to drop off some of my things and then we are driving to New Jersey. The car will be droppped off tomorrow and that will be the end of our month long road trip. When dropping the car off, I will have driven about 10,000 miles in total. How ridiculous.
Cheers,
Mees
From Raliegh we drove to Alexandria, VA to stay with my cousin. AKA Sean's brother. We went out to dinner at this place called Hard Times. It had the best chilli ever. You got to sample their 4 chilis which was awesome. My friend Dave came to dinner which was awesome since I rarely get to see him.
Today, it looks like we may drive through Annapolis. After that we will stop at my house to drop off some of my things and then we are driving to New Jersey. The car will be droppped off tomorrow and that will be the end of our month long road trip. When dropping the car off, I will have driven about 10,000 miles in total. How ridiculous.
Cheers,
Mees
Hot-Lanta! The ATL.
Macon to Atlanta was only a 2 hour or so drive with traffic. It was relatively easy as well. We went to Waffle House again for breakfast that morning with our Macon host then headed out.
We got to Sean's friends place and went into the city. We were only 15 mins or so outside of the city, but we stayed again in a super nice area. it's surprising the way some of the cities in the US are set up. Mostly, I imagine the way Baltimore City is and the way the suburbs directly surrounding the city are in terms of wealth....In Atlanta, we went to the World of Coca Cola!!!!
It was amazing! We got to taste a bunch of coke products from around the world. It was interesting to see some of the archived advertisements and signage. My favorite part was sitting in this TV room where commercials or history of coca cola was played on a loop. It was cool to see the TV advertisements for coca cola products around the world. As a marketing major, I was exhilarated by this experience.
After that we went to Centennial Park where it had some Olympic memorabilia.
At this point we were dying, it was so hot. So we left and went to get food at a place called The Varsity. It was amazing fast food. They have this frozen orange drink and its like a sherbert mixture and texture. Delicious. We ate chili cheese fries and onion rings there. Both great.
We later went over to a district called Little Five Points. It was completely hipster, and I really loved it. Totally a bigger, nicer, classier Hampden. Full of culture. We walked around and into the record and thrift shops. We ate at a place called The Porter. We shared a bunch of appetizers that were so delicious. I believe everything on the menu was organic. at least quasi organic or local. Huge beer menu, and hot waiters. I'm loving Atlanta so far.
One of the many appetizers we got. This is the Goat Cheese Fritters with Honey dipping sauce.
Our seats in The Porter.
Later we went to some art show and other hipster places. It was cool to see the diversity of that state and particularly the city.
After all that, we were dead tired. We were supposed to try and see a live play of Rocky Horror Picture Show, but we bailed. Heading back, we pick up the van and go to Gabby's fathers house. Her dad was gone and so we were supposed to have the house to ourselves, just Sean and I--and their dog. However, Gabby left the key with her sister. We tried breaking in, but were unsuccessful. We ended up driving back to Gabby's mom's house. There we stayed in the guest house. That place was being rented, but the guy was out of town. The place used to house Monks, but it had been recently renovated. The bedroom was up on a loft which you could get to by climbing a spiral staircase. Pretty cool. I ended up sleeping on the couch while Sean slept on his air mattress. The guys bed was sketchy. I totally forgot to take pics of this place. It was mad cool.
In the morning, we went over to the main house and had some breakfast. I had a chocolate croissant.
Cheers,
Mees
We got to Sean's friends place and went into the city. We were only 15 mins or so outside of the city, but we stayed again in a super nice area. it's surprising the way some of the cities in the US are set up. Mostly, I imagine the way Baltimore City is and the way the suburbs directly surrounding the city are in terms of wealth....In Atlanta, we went to the World of Coca Cola!!!! It was amazing! We got to taste a bunch of coke products from around the world. It was interesting to see some of the archived advertisements and signage. My favorite part was sitting in this TV room where commercials or history of coca cola was played on a loop. It was cool to see the TV advertisements for coca cola products around the world. As a marketing major, I was exhilarated by this experience.
After that we went to Centennial Park where it had some Olympic memorabilia.
We later went over to a district called Little Five Points. It was completely hipster, and I really loved it. Totally a bigger, nicer, classier Hampden. Full of culture. We walked around and into the record and thrift shops. We ate at a place called The Porter. We shared a bunch of appetizers that were so delicious. I believe everything on the menu was organic. at least quasi organic or local. Huge beer menu, and hot waiters. I'm loving Atlanta so far.
Below is the Apple Benignant. I only got a couple bites. We viciously attacked this but it was amazing.
Later we went to some art show and other hipster places. It was cool to see the diversity of that state and particularly the city.
After all that, we were dead tired. We were supposed to try and see a live play of Rocky Horror Picture Show, but we bailed. Heading back, we pick up the van and go to Gabby's fathers house. Her dad was gone and so we were supposed to have the house to ourselves, just Sean and I--and their dog. However, Gabby left the key with her sister. We tried breaking in, but were unsuccessful. We ended up driving back to Gabby's mom's house. There we stayed in the guest house. That place was being rented, but the guy was out of town. The place used to house Monks, but it had been recently renovated. The bedroom was up on a loft which you could get to by climbing a spiral staircase. Pretty cool. I ended up sleeping on the couch while Sean slept on his air mattress. The guys bed was sketchy. I totally forgot to take pics of this place. It was mad cool.
In the morning, we went over to the main house and had some breakfast. I had a chocolate croissant.
Cheers,
Mees
"I am from Macon, Georgia!"
In Pensacola, our plan was to go to the beach. Fail. It was raining and thunderstorming the whole time so we stayed in the hotel room. At the Holiday Inn, they had a complementary "buffet" at 5pm. I grabbed a Foster, fruit, veggies, and pigs in a blanket and took them up to our room. It tied us over til we had the energy to try and find dinner. We ended up going to this real dive sushi place. It was pretty awful. We threw away our leftovers in the parking lot trash can. The next day my stomach was torn up.
The following morning, we ate for the first time at Waffle House. Sean and I both left feeling as if our waitress was slighly prejudice. She was extremley friendly to everyone else, but when it came to us her expression changed completely. But the food was awesome.
It has been strange to experience something like this along this trip, after all it is 2011. Even in the midwest, I can sort of give those people the benefit of the doubt when staring at us. But mostly, it annoys me.
Sean and I talked a lot about how strange it is that Florida is inverted. The North acts like the "South", but South Florida has "Northern" aspects.
So moving a long, we found a place to stay in Macon Georgia where we got to experience the south in more fun ways. We stayed at the house of Princeton student. He was a friend of friends through Sean. I believe he was the son of a former Senator in Georgia.
The house was old style. Big open rooms, antique-ish styling. Cats. I stayed in a room that conjoined the living room/kitchen and the foyer. I had a full bath in the room which was nice up until the following morning where Sean stomped through at the crack of dawn--no locks on my doors.
First of all, southern hospitality doesn't exist. It's a myth, so I'm told. Maybe it was just Macon, Georgia. I was really disappointed in that. I hoped to have doors held for me, and hear people call me miss in a southern twang.
Second, there's nothing to do in Macon Georgia besides have a party at your parent's estate (yes I said estate) or shoot guns. We participated in both.
In Macon, we were in good company and it was cool to see what Macon life would be like. The pictures I posted were from driving through Macon. I'm told it's a rarity to see rain here.
Mees
The following morning, we ate for the first time at Waffle House. Sean and I both left feeling as if our waitress was slighly prejudice. She was extremley friendly to everyone else, but when it came to us her expression changed completely. But the food was awesome.
It has been strange to experience something like this along this trip, after all it is 2011. Even in the midwest, I can sort of give those people the benefit of the doubt when staring at us. But mostly, it annoys me.
Sean and I talked a lot about how strange it is that Florida is inverted. The North acts like the "South", but South Florida has "Northern" aspects.
So moving a long, we found a place to stay in Macon Georgia where we got to experience the south in more fun ways. We stayed at the house of Princeton student. He was a friend of friends through Sean. I believe he was the son of a former Senator in Georgia.
The house was old style. Big open rooms, antique-ish styling. Cats. I stayed in a room that conjoined the living room/kitchen and the foyer. I had a full bath in the room which was nice up until the following morning where Sean stomped through at the crack of dawn--no locks on my doors.
First of all, southern hospitality doesn't exist. It's a myth, so I'm told. Maybe it was just Macon, Georgia. I was really disappointed in that. I hoped to have doors held for me, and hear people call me miss in a southern twang.
Second, there's nothing to do in Macon Georgia besides have a party at your parent's estate (yes I said estate) or shoot guns. We participated in both.
In Macon, we were in good company and it was cool to see what Macon life would be like. The pictures I posted were from driving through Macon. I'm told it's a rarity to see rain here.
Mees
Thursday, July 28, 2011
The Big Easy
New Orleans was very very cool. Touristy, yes, but cool nonetheless. Great atmosphere, great food, rich in culture.
We arrived in the lower garden district, met our host, a young alum, and peaced out into the French Quarter. Taking a streetcar into the city, I was surprised by the liveliness of the town even on a hot humid Tuesday. We walked around a lot, taking in the sites, eating the local cuisine.
As it got later, the atmosphere got livelier. Beads were being thrown at me! Just from walking around. I'd hear a "wooosh!" and a clapps and on the ground beside me would be a bead necklace. I caught 3 and decided to keep them as novelties.
Later in the night, I decided I'd try a good ole Norleans alcoholic beverage. The no open container laws are kind of crazy. Definitely keeps the city original and active during the week.
During the day, we ate fried alligator, po-boys, and had cafe au laits & beignets at Cafe du Monde. Delicious all around.
Cafe du Mond was so good. We got cafe au laits and beignets and they were delicious.
We rode the trolly home. I got to sit by the window this time, which gave me a nice breeze and a great view of the city at dusk.
Our host had a kitten. It was so cool, but kept me up most of the night. The other part of the night it slept on my back, face, arms, chest, and feet. It reminded me of my old cat Mr. Bojangles. We overslept in the morning ate at a local cafe and drove through the garden district.
The garden district was pretty an quaint. Seemed touristy and filled with shops.
The humidity down this far south is intense. I got filthy gross. We were always sweaty and uncomfortable.
Now we are in a hotel in Pensacola, FL. Beach tomorrow then going to Macon, Georgia. Our Birmingham place fell through. I wonder if people are skeptical to host us as this has happened a few times. I understand being worried about strangers staying in ones home, and i certainly wouldn't allow that. But its funny when people commit then bail. Why bother committing if you have any reservations.
Sean and I tried to finagle a way to get to Orlando to try and go to Harry Potter World. The money factor is holding us back unfortunately.
M
We arrived in the lower garden district, met our host, a young alum, and peaced out into the French Quarter. Taking a streetcar into the city, I was surprised by the liveliness of the town even on a hot humid Tuesday. We walked around a lot, taking in the sites, eating the local cuisine.
As it got later, the atmosphere got livelier. Beads were being thrown at me! Just from walking around. I'd hear a "wooosh!" and a clapps and on the ground beside me would be a bead necklace. I caught 3 and decided to keep them as novelties.
Later in the night, I decided I'd try a good ole Norleans alcoholic beverage. The no open container laws are kind of crazy. Definitely keeps the city original and active during the week.
During the day, we ate fried alligator, po-boys, and had cafe au laits & beignets at Cafe du Monde. Delicious all around. 
Cafe du Mond was so good. We got cafe au laits and beignets and they were delicious.
We rode the trolly home. I got to sit by the window this time, which gave me a nice breeze and a great view of the city at dusk.
Our host had a kitten. It was so cool, but kept me up most of the night. The other part of the night it slept on my back, face, arms, chest, and feet. It reminded me of my old cat Mr. Bojangles. We overslept in the morning ate at a local cafe and drove through the garden district.
The garden district was pretty an quaint. Seemed touristy and filled with shops.
The humidity down this far south is intense. I got filthy gross. We were always sweaty and uncomfortable.
Now we are in a hotel in Pensacola, FL. Beach tomorrow then going to Macon, Georgia. Our Birmingham place fell through. I wonder if people are skeptical to host us as this has happened a few times. I understand being worried about strangers staying in ones home, and i certainly wouldn't allow that. But its funny when people commit then bail. Why bother committing if you have any reservations.
Sean and I tried to finagle a way to get to Orlando to try and go to Harry Potter World. The money factor is holding us back unfortunately.
M
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
Houston we have a problem
We got to see more of Austin today. Spent quite a bit of time there, actually. The morning consisted of seeing the Flag Ship Whole Foods in downtown in order to kill time. Here, we also got a quick bite to eat since we were not sure if we were going to eat at Facebook. I don't know where we got the assumption that we would be provided lunch haha. At Whole Foods we got a roll of sushi to share, which was of course delicious.
We walk out of the elevator and on to the 10th Floor of the building to see a small masthead with the word "Facebook" on it. Double clear doors lead us to the front security desk. We sign a form, get printed out name tags and walk through another clear door an into a strange land where facebook is made...sort of.
When you walk in that clear door, you are in the dining area. There is a buffet style eatery with sensible options for lunch. I'll get back to that...
Our host takes us on a tour, I couldn't really hear what she was saying as she was talking quitely. The office takes up an entire floor (and their expanding to the floor up). The space is basically a big room with desks with Dell monitors. The employees, when hired, get to pick whether they want a PC or Mac. And they get their personal laptop as well as their desktop. So theres lines of computers for each segment. User Operations has one of the bigger rooms as there are more of those employees. Advertising and sales share a shmedium room --and when I say room i mean like open area type thing. Idk how to describe it but yeah...
I want to add that a guy had 5 Yuelglings next to him while working...And there was a keg-erator with a keg tapped.
We got to eat lunch at Facebook. It was very strange and there was a kid-like atmosphere in the cafeteria dining area which i described earlier. It seemed that the employees tend to make "clicks".
Lunch was great. Fresh food, many options, overall satisfactory. I made a turkey with cheddar sandwhich and had peas and carrots as a side. We got fondu for dessert with fruit, marshmallows, and bunt cake. The FB employees really have it good there.
It was funny to see the choices made by the employees. They all ate relatively healthy. I feel there must be some pressure to look good as everyone is young. 20's 30's in this office. Austin is also one of those places where the organic, hippy, recycle, vegan, thing is huge and influential. Despite the associated phrase "everything's bigger in Texas", the people in Austin were quite the contradictory.
We drove to Houston towards the end of the afternoon, which was a really quick drive. Got there, checked into the hotel, and chilled for a little. We went down to the concierge to ask where a good place was to go for steaks. He recommended a few places. We decided on this place called Saltgrass which looked to be in our price range. It turned out to be kind of divey place, but the food was really good.
We got steaks like planned which were so amazingly amazing. The portions were huge, so we both had a lot of leftovers. Our meals consisted of fresh bread, potato soup, steak, and a side. The price was really good for the amount of food we got.
After dinner, we went back to the hotel. There wasn't much to do or see in Houston. It just seemed like a place with all mega highways that looped up and over each other. Houston is another city where most people commute to the downtown for work. We were pretty exhausted from the heat and walking around Austin all day. Getting to sleep early was a great plan since we were excited to go to New Orleans.Mees
Monday, July 25, 2011
Keeping Austin Weird
We arrived in Austin today. Boring drive from Pecos to Austin. We drove around, and had lunch at a Tex Mex place called Maria Maria. It was delicious. A very different, higher end type tex mex. I guess thats authentic Tex Mex considering the state we were in lol.
This was my meal. I got chicken taquitos.
Above is the meal sean got. I believe it was some sort of beef burrito. He gave me his avocado :)
After eating, we went to the house. We had be advised that no one would be home, so we were to go through an unlocked door in the back of the house. Well that door was locked. We stood on the deck trying to get ahold of the host and then we saw a kid who came down the stairs and unlocked the door for us. He said a quick hello and told us his mom left "directions/instructions" on the counter. We took a look at this list. It was a well thought out and organized suggestions of what to see. This was great. It really helped us get to know the city.
We dropped off our things and headed back out into Austin. We drove around until we go to a park. It was a place that people could go swimming and the water stayed 68 degrees year round. We walked around this park and saw a drum circle! Then we walked around to see the people and the water. It was gorgeous. Aside from a few floating peices of garbage, the water looked refreshing. People had floaties and kayaks.
We tried to find a few other locations after that but totatly failed. By that time it was getting closer to dinner time and we wanted to head back into the AC and meet the rest of the family. So back at the house, no one had arrived home from work yet. We chilled for about 10 mins until the family walked through the door. They were immediately friendly and curious that we were comfortable. They asked if they could take us to dinner, and of course we accepted. Before dinner, we waited a bit for the babysitter to arrive. In the mean time, Allison, the Princeton Alumni, wanted to show us the bridge that bats come out of every night.
We were dropped off at the hotel near the bridge, It's a real touristy thing to see, and of course we saw it. It was actually pretty cool. A lot of people were there watching either from the bridge--which was packed--or people were on boats.
After the bats, we went to a Sushi fusion place that was absolutely the best meal we've had so far on the trip. The dinner consisted of tempura onion rings, grilled edamame, rolls of all sorts with awesome sauces, and desserts from a world renowned pastry chef. Overall, very Austin cuisine, and very good.
Tomorrow our host is taking us on a tour of Facebook facility. I am super excited.Here's hoping to husband finding at the facebook facility if not networking. I would so live and work in Austin. It is a really cool excentric city. I hope to go back soon
Mees
This was my meal. I got chicken taquitos.
Above is the meal sean got. I believe it was some sort of beef burrito. He gave me his avocado :)
After eating, we went to the house. We had be advised that no one would be home, so we were to go through an unlocked door in the back of the house. Well that door was locked. We stood on the deck trying to get ahold of the host and then we saw a kid who came down the stairs and unlocked the door for us. He said a quick hello and told us his mom left "directions/instructions" on the counter. We took a look at this list. It was a well thought out and organized suggestions of what to see. This was great. It really helped us get to know the city.
We dropped off our things and headed back out into Austin. We drove around until we go to a park. It was a place that people could go swimming and the water stayed 68 degrees year round. We walked around this park and saw a drum circle! Then we walked around to see the people and the water. It was gorgeous. Aside from a few floating peices of garbage, the water looked refreshing. People had floaties and kayaks.
We tried to find a few other locations after that but totatly failed. By that time it was getting closer to dinner time and we wanted to head back into the AC and meet the rest of the family. So back at the house, no one had arrived home from work yet. We chilled for about 10 mins until the family walked through the door. They were immediately friendly and curious that we were comfortable. They asked if they could take us to dinner, and of course we accepted. Before dinner, we waited a bit for the babysitter to arrive. In the mean time, Allison, the Princeton Alumni, wanted to show us the bridge that bats come out of every night.
We were dropped off at the hotel near the bridge, It's a real touristy thing to see, and of course we saw it. It was actually pretty cool. A lot of people were there watching either from the bridge--which was packed--or people were on boats.
After the bats, we went to a Sushi fusion place that was absolutely the best meal we've had so far on the trip. The dinner consisted of tempura onion rings, grilled edamame, rolls of all sorts with awesome sauces, and desserts from a world renowned pastry chef. Overall, very Austin cuisine, and very good.
Tomorrow our host is taking us on a tour of Facebook facility. I am super excited.Here's hoping to husband finding at the facebook facility if not networking. I would so live and work in Austin. It is a really cool excentric city. I hope to go back soonMees
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Santa Fe to ...not Carlsbad
Santa Fe was really nice. Driving around the downtown, we got the vibe that rich people come here to go on spa vacations. There were ritzy stores and restaurants.
Finding our hosts house was kind of difficult. He lived down this dirt road with only a few other houses around. All sharing the same string of mailboxes. The property seemed big since there was really no yard. The surrounding plots of land were dry and very southwestern. The house was nice and big, and we had good company. The house in general was very open and airy. I suppose designed this way in order to have the dry air circulate throughout the house.
We hung out on his back porch for most of the evening just talking.
He had a nice little garden where he even picked his own collard greens to cook for dinner. Our host was very chill and made us feel right at home. He told us we would hear coyotes in the night, and we sure did. I woke up several times to the howling outside of the house.
He owned the western saddle Russell Crowe's crimson cheeks sat in for the movie 3:10 to Yuma. His dog Gio was awesome, and if we could've stayed longer, we absolutely would have. We had awesome coffee, made with chicory (a Louisiana thing) , and had a good breakfast to send us on our way out. It was sad to leave.
Carlsbad Fail. The caverns were way out of the way so we couldn't get to see them. No camping either cause my tonsils are swollen and gross and I think i have tonsilitis. I feel like crap. The dry weather got to me. We ended up just driving until we got into Texas. We got a hotel and chilled. It was good to make the drive to Austin much shorter.
Tomorrow I drive 6 hours or so to Austin. I'm excited to see Texas and to shop!
Mees
We hung out on his back porch for most of the evening just talking.
He had a nice little garden where he even picked his own collard greens to cook for dinner. Our host was very chill and made us feel right at home. He told us we would hear coyotes in the night, and we sure did. I woke up several times to the howling outside of the house.
He owned the western saddle Russell Crowe's crimson cheeks sat in for the movie 3:10 to Yuma. His dog Gio was awesome, and if we could've stayed longer, we absolutely would have. We had awesome coffee, made with chicory (a Louisiana thing) , and had a good breakfast to send us on our way out. It was sad to leave. Carlsbad Fail. The caverns were way out of the way so we couldn't get to see them. No camping either cause my tonsils are swollen and gross and I think i have tonsilitis. I feel like crap. The dry weather got to me. We ended up just driving until we got into Texas. We got a hotel and chilled. It was good to make the drive to Austin much shorter.
Tomorrow I drive 6 hours or so to Austin. I'm excited to see Texas and to shop!
Mees
Pheonix to Santa Fe
It's getting to the point where on top of not knowing what day it is, I don't know where I am or where I am going. Waking up in a new place everyday is trippy. But that could be due to the lack of sleep.
Today was a grueling some 7 hour leg to Santa Fe, not including the extra driving around the cities to "explore".
I though Phoenix was pretty chill. Very suburban-like function of the city. No real need for public transportation there. It definitely seems as though in the next 50 years or so, the city will grow and the all the foreclosed homes will be occupied. It has great potential. I really like how that city is set up. It is simple to navigate but also very pretty. Not really much to do, but overall, I'd go back.
Driving around the city, we stopped and got Jamba Juice. It was pretty hot. So stopping to park and walk around was a no-go. We we're itching at this point to see something different. Here, we stayed at a Double Tree. It was super nice and comfortable. Huge pool with a beautiful open area where we swam and looked at the stars. Something that is always taken for granted. We were relaxed after swimming. It was so perfect since it was absurdly hot, when the sun went down the water was still nice and warm. In the morning we had another breakfast. At this point we were sort of getting sick of the hotel breakfasts or at least I was.
In Santa Fe, we are staying at yet another nice house. The guy is really cool too. He welcomed us like we'd known him forever. Being really relaxed from the start, I felt really comfortable. Sometimes, walking into strangers homes in this situation, you can feel as if you are impeding. The guy also has a really good dog, Gio. Gio is quite the character. He is about 2 or so, but huge. A German Shepard and maybe husky mix. Very temper mental and sweet dog.
Tomorrow, if we wake up early enough, we are gonna jump in the hot tub and then head out to Carlsbad. We dunno really what the plan is there yet. We may or may not camp. We may just drive closer to Houston or Austin. I forget which one is first.
Mees
Today was a grueling some 7 hour leg to Santa Fe, not including the extra driving around the cities to "explore".
I though Phoenix was pretty chill. Very suburban-like function of the city. No real need for public transportation there. It definitely seems as though in the next 50 years or so, the city will grow and the all the foreclosed homes will be occupied. It has great potential. I really like how that city is set up. It is simple to navigate but also very pretty. Not really much to do, but overall, I'd go back.
Driving around the city, we stopped and got Jamba Juice. It was pretty hot. So stopping to park and walk around was a no-go. We we're itching at this point to see something different. Here, we stayed at a Double Tree. It was super nice and comfortable. Huge pool with a beautiful open area where we swam and looked at the stars. Something that is always taken for granted. We were relaxed after swimming. It was so perfect since it was absurdly hot, when the sun went down the water was still nice and warm. In the morning we had another breakfast. At this point we were sort of getting sick of the hotel breakfasts or at least I was.
In Santa Fe, we are staying at yet another nice house. The guy is really cool too. He welcomed us like we'd known him forever. Being really relaxed from the start, I felt really comfortable. Sometimes, walking into strangers homes in this situation, you can feel as if you are impeding. The guy also has a really good dog, Gio. Gio is quite the character. He is about 2 or so, but huge. A German Shepard and maybe husky mix. Very temper mental and sweet dog.
Tomorrow, if we wake up early enough, we are gonna jump in the hot tub and then head out to Carlsbad. We dunno really what the plan is there yet. We may or may not camp. We may just drive closer to Houston or Austin. I forget which one is first.
Mees
Friday, July 22, 2011
Universal and Santa Monica
July 20th, 2011It was a very busy day. We woke up and went to the Santa Monica Pier. My little cousin who has her permit drove us. She actually is a very good driver, though I still felt like i was gonna die haha.
The pier and 3rd Stree Promenade was very touristy but pretty cool overall. The tempertature over there is much better than other spots in LA. The ocean breeze isn't a bad thing to live by. After some mexican food for lunch we went over to Universal Studios.
Walking through the City Walk, my Uncle and I were talking about Kevin Smith and if there would be a third Jay and Silent Bob movie. We walk a couple more steps, see a camera crew with a huddle of people around and poof, there is Kevin Smith interviewing some random guy. It was pretty awesome to have a star sighting in LA.My first star sighting of the trip was in Chicago at a Country Club. Brad Wollack a writer for Chelsea Lately and a sometimes guest host of the round table on the show.
After gauking at Kevin Smith, we went in Universal. First waiting in line for the Simpsons ride which used to be Back to the Future. The ride was awesome! I don't typically do rides, and i especially don't do roller coasters. This virtual reality ride was pretty badass. Anyway after that we did the studio tour, which was great, and similar to what i remember when i went at like age 10. Last we had time for the Shrek 4D which was great.
We ended the night eating at the Hard Rock Cafe. Our waitress didn't know where Baltimore was. I nearly died when she said "wherever Maryland is".
The days events led us to get back pretty late. 10:30 we finally stepped foot in their house. I was supposed to meet with my friend who recently moved to Santa Monica, but I flaked as I was exahausted.
July 21
We woke up went to the post office to mail some stuff home, had a Jamba Juice, packed the car, said our goodbyes and left for Pheonix. The hotel here is pretty nice, we had dinner at Crackle Barrel and then went swimming, at night it was still over 100 degrees. But swimming was awesome and so relaxing. It was nice to lay out and see the stars.
Mees
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
LA LA Land
Today was really chill. We woke up and just hung out at the house most of the day.
In the afternoon we went to my Aunt's friends house, who is an actress. I won't say her name on account that she may not want her business out there. But if you are a friend of mine in real life or facebook life, you should know who it is as I got a little overzealous when I found out. I'll give you a hint, she was on LOST. Back to the point, we went swimming at this lady's house. She was teaching a violin lesson at the time and was unable to be outside with us. We hung out there for a while and while the lessons were still going on we decided to leave. We were hungry and ready to go.
After dinner my cousin and I went for a wog (Walking and Jogging). On the way back we stopped at her best friends house to see her parents. Her friend is at camp. So we walk in and say hello. The mother is working on her daughters resume. I happen to know a lot about resumes and actually in my last semester of college took a class thats focus was interviews and resumes and things of that relm.
Anyway. the mom was confused with using word, so I sat down to help. In the process, I realized the resume was a mess. So I gently informed her that this one particular thing should be changed and she like had an epiphany. She was such a character. Hyper, happy, energetic... Her epiphany was very dramatic..and it was that I work on her daughters resume. Which I happily obliged. I sat for what was probably somewhere around 75 minutes editing this resume. In the process, the mom made me call the daughter and explain to her the things I was doing. It was quite hilarous and strange. Speaking with someone I have never met and helping her out. She was very appreciative. This girl had huge aspirations and is close to meeting her goals. She is studying and getting certified to become and EMT and a paramedic. She works out with a trainer, does P90x, runs with a 40 lbs vest amoungst other things.
If I could function around people and guts, I would love to be an RN or an EMT/Paramedic. Unfourtunately, I don't have the stomach for it. But anyway, this girl wants to do something great with her life. Went into college knowing what she wanted to do. I commend this girl for her asprirations. I am glad that I did something thats somewhat self-less. On my stressful and busy roadtrip, I was able to help out someone that is going to do good things with her life.
Tomorrow its back to the stress of what is this mayhem of vacation. I'm not really sure what the plan is but it is something along the lines of...
Breakfast: Jamba Juice
Lunch: Mexican Food
Dinner:?
Days Events:
Something to do with Santa Monica
Universal Studios
Seeing the Hollywood sign
I am hoping to squeeze in some time to see a friend of mine from home that recently moved to Santa Monica.
Hopefully tomorrow isn't too obscene.
Mees
In the afternoon we went to my Aunt's friends house, who is an actress. I won't say her name on account that she may not want her business out there. But if you are a friend of mine in real life or facebook life, you should know who it is as I got a little overzealous when I found out. I'll give you a hint, she was on LOST. Back to the point, we went swimming at this lady's house. She was teaching a violin lesson at the time and was unable to be outside with us. We hung out there for a while and while the lessons were still going on we decided to leave. We were hungry and ready to go. After dinner my cousin and I went for a wog (Walking and Jogging). On the way back we stopped at her best friends house to see her parents. Her friend is at camp. So we walk in and say hello. The mother is working on her daughters resume. I happen to know a lot about resumes and actually in my last semester of college took a class thats focus was interviews and resumes and things of that relm.
Anyway. the mom was confused with using word, so I sat down to help. In the process, I realized the resume was a mess. So I gently informed her that this one particular thing should be changed and she like had an epiphany. She was such a character. Hyper, happy, energetic... Her epiphany was very dramatic..and it was that I work on her daughters resume. Which I happily obliged. I sat for what was probably somewhere around 75 minutes editing this resume. In the process, the mom made me call the daughter and explain to her the things I was doing. It was quite hilarous and strange. Speaking with someone I have never met and helping her out. She was very appreciative. This girl had huge aspirations and is close to meeting her goals. She is studying and getting certified to become and EMT and a paramedic. She works out with a trainer, does P90x, runs with a 40 lbs vest amoungst other things.
If I could function around people and guts, I would love to be an RN or an EMT/Paramedic. Unfourtunately, I don't have the stomach for it. But anyway, this girl wants to do something great with her life. Went into college knowing what she wanted to do. I commend this girl for her asprirations. I am glad that I did something thats somewhat self-less. On my stressful and busy roadtrip, I was able to help out someone that is going to do good things with her life.
Tomorrow its back to the stress of what is this mayhem of vacation. I'm not really sure what the plan is but it is something along the lines of...
Breakfast: Jamba Juice
Lunch: Mexican Food
Dinner:?
Days Events:
Something to do with Santa Monica
Universal Studios
Seeing the Hollywood sign
I am hoping to squeeze in some time to see a friend of mine from home that recently moved to Santa Monica.
Hopefully tomorrow isn't too obscene.
Mees
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Francisco, that's a fun name to say pt 2
I LOVED SAN FRANCISCO.It is a beautiful, kind of crazy, but really fun city.
Most of the homless are crazy and mean.
View from the apartment.
Other than that, our stay was really nice. A young alum gave us her apartment. We didn't even meet her and she left the keys for us. Her apartment was sick. High ceilings, big windows, fairly spacious for a San Fran Apartment. 1 1/2 bathrooms, giant closet..i could go on but im sure you get the jist. The location was ideal. Close to a parking garage, and right in the shopping district.
The people in SF are dressed well for the most part. Occasionally you see the crazy Californians dressed in crazy eclectic clothing.
We walked and biked a lot. Saw the pyramid building, the ferry place market, the Frisco Bay.At the end of the day, I drove down Lombard Street in the famous windey road. That was a lot of fun. Going up the hills to the top of that street was intense. Our van kept drifting backwards, so i would have to slam on the gas to avoid the idiot behind me who kept pulling so close to me knowing i was burning tires to try and avoid the drift.
We did an impromptu drive to LA. We were exhausted and pretty much saw all there was to see of San Francisco. We arrived around 12:30 AM happy to see our relatives.
Mees
Sunday, July 17, 2011
Coastal Drive
Yesterday we didn't quite make it to Port Orford. We got a room and stayed close to the water. In the morning it was that weird drizzle rain mixture that didn't stop until we got to California. We drove to Port Orford and found a beach called Arizona Beach. It was misty but beautiful. The whole coast line was like this as well. Just absolutely gorgeous dramatic scenery with beach front and cliffs.
Port Orford is a place one wouldn't expect. It's small, quaint, and essentially a best kept secret of coastal Oregon.
I drove a lot today. We made it all the way through the Redwoods and into Ukiah. Drove around there for a while trying to find a hotel. We finally found one with availability. Apparently, a lot of people vacation in Ukiah, though there didn't seem like much to do.
Back to the Redwoods. Stunning again. The trees were huge and beautiful. We carved "Road Trip '11" into a redwood that was cut down which many others had carved things into.
Tomorrow we go to San Francisco!
Cheers,
Mees
Friday, July 15, 2011
Seattle to Portland
Today was an early and stressful morning. I had to wake up at 6 am to move the car. If I wasn't so good with cities, I wouldn't have been able to do what I did. We got out of the apartment by 10 and headed to Jiffy Lube.
After Jiffy Lube I we got stamps and mailed out some things. It's a good thing to have stocked up on stamps so as to send post cards to our previous hosts asap.
The drive to Portand was fairly easly. The same sort of North West deal occured in terms of scenary, though it got much prettier about an hour maybe hour and a half outside of Portland.
We made an impromptu stop at IKEA and got some useful things...like lunch. IKEA food is so good!
We ended up arriving at our Portland hosts home around 5. We recieved a lovely welcome which included a couple glasses of local wine and brewskis. I love being able to sample the local spirits.
Oregon is known for their Pinot Noirs (my favorite red) and also their micro-brews. Both the wine and the beer were delicious as were the appetizers served. Dinner was lovely, we had fresh salmon and a really nice salad. I'm gonna be full for a week.
Again, we are staying at a beautiful large and spacious home located on what may be a mountain-ish type hill in the suburbs of Portland. I really wanted to run today, but the hills in this neighborhood and the elevation might just do me in with the added lack of sleep. Anyway, it is much much much more comfortable than last nights sleeping arrangements. Last night, we stayed in the typical guys college apartment....but it home to girls.
Tomorrow we will venture into the downtown area to explore Portland. Then, we'll head off to Port Orford. There, we'll be staying at a camp ground. In the morning we may do a short day hike before going to San Francisco.
Cheers,
Mees
After Jiffy Lube I we got stamps and mailed out some things. It's a good thing to have stocked up on stamps so as to send post cards to our previous hosts asap.
The drive to Portand was fairly easly. The same sort of North West deal occured in terms of scenary, though it got much prettier about an hour maybe hour and a half outside of Portland.
We made an impromptu stop at IKEA and got some useful things...like lunch. IKEA food is so good!
We ended up arriving at our Portland hosts home around 5. We recieved a lovely welcome which included a couple glasses of local wine and brewskis. I love being able to sample the local spirits.
Oregon is known for their Pinot Noirs (my favorite red) and also their micro-brews. Both the wine and the beer were delicious as were the appetizers served. Dinner was lovely, we had fresh salmon and a really nice salad. I'm gonna be full for a week.
Again, we are staying at a beautiful large and spacious home located on what may be a mountain-ish type hill in the suburbs of Portland. I really wanted to run today, but the hills in this neighborhood and the elevation might just do me in with the added lack of sleep. Anyway, it is much much much more comfortable than last nights sleeping arrangements. Last night, we stayed in the typical guys college apartment....but it home to girls.
Tomorrow we will venture into the downtown area to explore Portland. Then, we'll head off to Port Orford. There, we'll be staying at a camp ground. In the morning we may do a short day hike before going to San Francisco.
Cheers,
Mees
Thursday, July 14, 2011
Seattle, the windy city?
Leaving Kennewick for Seattle was so depressing. I knew I'd spend the whole time in Seattle reminiscing. The drive into Seattle was beautiful. We passed a few national parks, so the scenery was very pretty. Very different from the rustic arid Kennewick.
In Seattle, we stayed with a Princeton student who interned at Microsoft. Her apartment was amazing. We snuck into the city for a little, just to hit up an REI and look around Capitol Hill. We ate at a very cute place that had amazing food. We met up with some of Sean's friends at Princeton. They took us around afterwards to an ice cream place.
Our first full day in Seattle was exhausting. We did a lot of shopping damage. But it was so worth it, I needed retail therapy since purchases at REI end up being stuff for backcountry camping that I don't even wanna think about lol.
FLAGSHIP REI
Seattle is a pretty cool city. It's confusing as hell though since it is all discombobulated. The market was pretty cool, also very touristy.
We went up to the Space Needle after dinner, which might have been disastrous.
Earlier in the day I had a mini melt-down in the library. Not a fan of heights, but I keep putting myself in these situations where I am sky-high in the air. Anyway, the view from the SN was really cool. It was a great time of day. The whole day was pretty great in terms of weather. It rained and drizzled in the morning for a bit, but then it cleared up and it was bright and sunny the rest of the day.
The one thing I have to complain about Seattle is that it is almost too similar to Baltimore in terms of transportation. It is almost as if you need a car to get anywhere. The public transportation is decent, but not exactly safe or remotely comfortable.
I can't imagine commuting into the city.
Today, we are heading to Portland. We will be staying with a alumni family. On to seeing more hipsters-- in Portlandia!
Cheers,
Mees
In Seattle, we stayed with a Princeton student who interned at Microsoft. Her apartment was amazing. We snuck into the city for a little, just to hit up an REI and look around Capitol Hill. We ate at a very cute place that had amazing food. We met up with some of Sean's friends at Princeton. They took us around afterwards to an ice cream place.
Our first full day in Seattle was exhausting. We did a lot of shopping damage. But it was so worth it, I needed retail therapy since purchases at REI end up being stuff for backcountry camping that I don't even wanna think about lol.
FLAGSHIP REI
Seattle is a pretty cool city. It's confusing as hell though since it is all discombobulated. The market was pretty cool, also very touristy.
Earlier in the day I had a mini melt-down in the library. Not a fan of heights, but I keep putting myself in these situations where I am sky-high in the air. Anyway, the view from the SN was really cool. It was a great time of day. The whole day was pretty great in terms of weather. It rained and drizzled in the morning for a bit, but then it cleared up and it was bright and sunny the rest of the day.
The one thing I have to complain about Seattle is that it is almost too similar to Baltimore in terms of transportation. It is almost as if you need a car to get anywhere. The public transportation is decent, but not exactly safe or remotely comfortable. I can't imagine commuting into the city.
Today, we are heading to Portland. We will be staying with a alumni family. On to seeing more hipsters-- in Portlandia!
Cheers,
Mees
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